While I wasn’t a fan of the first Resistance due to the health system and the weapons having more bark than bite, I have been enjoying the Resistance 2 multiplayer beta. While the standard game types and environments aren’t really pulling me in, the cooperative mode that has been a breath of fresh air in the FPS genre.

The co-op mode has you on a team of 8 people with the option to choose from 3 different types of classes, Soldier, Medic, or Special Ops. While this is pretty much a simplified version of what can be found in Team Fortress 2, what makes co-op mode stand out is the structure of the battles being similar to a MMO raid or RPG dungeon crawler.

The level starts out with you being attacked by the standard bad guys and a few carrying shields, after a few swarms of these enemies you will run into a boss character. Bosses range from a giant beast to a four legged robot, but what separates them other than their size is a health bar that lets you know that you know your going need a few thousand rounds of ammo to drop this foe. While there wasn’t much of a fear of failure in the beta, it was a new experience for me in a FPS. If they increase the difficulty of the bosses (not just their health) and have a good amount of unlocks, then there is a good chance that this would be my favorite mode in the final game.

Ultimately co-op mode is just one of the many that Resistance 2 features, so it probably won’t be as fleshed out as it could be if this was made in to a full game. Which brings up the point, why hasn’t anyone made a FPS MMO before now? Both the MMO and the FPS are two very popular genres, yet they haven’t crossed paths yet. Considering a lot of developers are trying the hands at MMOs and most flopping after a year due to the “Me Too” mentality, why not take Call of Duty 4’s ranking, perks, and unlock system and expand it to fit the needs of a MMO.

Now, I know that there have been games announced in the FPS MMO category, a few of which that have been rumored, and the recent gamasutra story on the cancelled Halo MMO from Ensemble Studios. But it has been a while since anyone has heard from Huxley, and Sony hasn’t shown anything on there 3rd person shooter The Agency since early summer, lets hope that they take a look to CoD4 for inspiration and hope that they take their time to do it right. Also, hope that they focus on keeping it playing more skill based like a FPS and not an elaborate interface for a dice roll damage system in order to get and keep the Halo, CoD4, Resistance, & Gears of War fans to make that commitment and keep up with that unfortunate monthly fee instead of canceling their subscription.